Cristiano Ronaldo scores as Real Madrid prevail at Osasuna

Real Madrid marked captain Sergio Ramos' 500th appearance for the club by returning to the top of La Liga with a hard-fought 3-1 victory away to bottom-of-the-table Osasuna.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and Lucas Vazquez ensured the Champions League holders eventually saw off their stubborn hosts to make Barcelona's occupation of top spot short-lived after their 6-0 romp away to Alaves in Saturday's afternoon kickoff.

Zinedine Zidane had warned that, after their inaction thanks to last week's postponement at Celta, the task facing his team might prove more difficult than many were predicting -- and so it proved on a rainy night at El Sadar Stadium.

Osasuna have still yet to win at home all season, and were up against opponents who have lost only once in the league.

But they gave at least as good as they got throughout the first half, despite the shock of losing defender Tano on the quarter-hour when he suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Isco and had to be replaced by David Garcia.

There was no clear-cut chance for either team until the hosts' Fausto Tienza tried his luck from distance and brought a diving save low to his left from Keylor Navas in the 18th minute.

Madrid surprisingly struggled to hold possession until they went in front with their first attack of any note in the 24th minute.

It was Ronaldo who did the trick, completing a slick move after a fine through-ball from Karim Benzema as he beat Salvatore Sirigu with a low, right-foot shot across the goalkeeper from inside the penalty area for his 14th of the campaign.

Osasuna were deservedly level again, however, on 33 minutes when striker Sergio Leon easily beat the home defence to Juan Rafael Fuentes' precision pass from inside his own half and neatly lifted the ball over Navas.

Sirigu ought perhaps to have done better to stop Ronaldo opening the scoring, but in the 35th minute he stood his ground to keep out Benzema's close-range side-foot after the former Manchester United winger had this time crossed accurately from the right.

Navas did well at the other end just before the break, to keep the scores level as Osasuna continued to match their illustrious visitors -- again down smartly to his left, to smother Emmanuel Riviere's left-foot shot through a packed penalty area.

Petar Vasiljevic's men threatened again early in the second half, Real thankful once more to Navas for his dive to his right to push Leon's left-foot shot past the post.

Isco provided the breathing space for Real in the 62nd minute, though, scoring with his right foot across Sirigu and into the bottom corner after Benzema cut in from the right and the ball then broke clear just outside the six-yard box.

Isco appeared to be hit by a coin thrown from the crowd as he celebrated but he was not seriously hurt -- and after their unexpected struggle, his high-flying team came through unscathed too.

Ramos might have made the evening more comfortable if he could have put a close-range header on target in the 75th minute, and there was another scare to come courtesy of Leon as Navas kept out a fierce right-foot shot at his near post.

But Vazquez wrapped up the points when he lifted the ball over Sirigu in the third and final minute of added time as Real did enough to stay on target in pursuit of a first title since 2012.